Living abroad: Top ten cities for expats in 2016

A survey of more than 14,000 expats has revealed the cities people most desire to live and work in around the world.

The data, collated by InterNations – a global expat network with more than two million members – showed that of the 50 most popular cities, almost half were located in English-speaking countries.

Outside of the top ten, Melbourne came in at 11th place, Vancouver 13th, Los Angeles 14th, Auckland 16th and Miami 17th. Seattle, Boston, Dublin and Edinburgh were ranked lower down (46th to 49th).

Among women, Rome, Berlin and Cape Town were placed in the top ten, while for men, it was Singapore, Dubai and Vancouver.

Age was also an influencing factor, with expats under the age of 25 dreaming of Tokyo, while those over 50 desired Bangkok or Honolulu.

Here are the top ten democratically-decided destinations to relocate your life to:

10. Rome

9. Amsterdam

8. Dubai

7. Singapore

6. Paris

5. San Francisco

4. Sydney

3. Barcelona

2. London

1. New York

According to HSBC’s 2015 Expat Explorer report, based on the responses of 21,950 expats from around the globe, Singapore is the number-one destination to live and work in. “Overall, 67 per cent say their quality of life is better in Singapore than it was at home.”

It also found that: “Globally, expats say the cities of London, Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong are the four best places in the world to start a business, due to their strong economies, culture and business environment which attract the world’s expat entrepreneurs.”

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